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Primary care clinicians who work with adolescents and adults are seeing increasing numbers of patients presenting for an ADHD evaluation in which the symptoms didn’t develop until later in childhood or even in adulthood. These “late onset” cases have traditionally been viewed as being atypical, although there has not been a great deal of systematic […]

On Thursday January 28, representatives from six Vermont medical organizations (VT chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Family Medicine, and American College of Physicians as well as the Vermont Psychiatric Association and the Vermont Medical Society) held a press conference at the Statehouse in Montpelier to outline […]

As Vermont considers whether to join other states in legalizing recreational cannabis use, clinicians and the public alike are struggling to find good information about the risks, or lack thereof, that may be involved. Complicating matters as the issue becomes more and more political is the phenomenon of dueling research evidence, as folks who are […]

One of the “Holy Grails” of psychiatry is the ability not only to treat existing behavioral problems effectively but to prevent them. This task has proven challenging but remains the focus of many given the extraordinary human and financial costs associated with chronic psychopathology and criminal behavior. Some people have become somewhat pessimistic about this […]

Of note, this post is adapted from a similar one that appeared last week in my Psychology Today blog. From many headlines today, it is easy to get the impression that children and adolescents are struggling more than ever these days. At the same time, the mental health system designed to help our kids and […]

Across the country, there have been several initiatives to decriminalize and even legalize marijuana, including efforts here in Vermont. A common sentiment behind these movements is that cannabis in not really addictive or harmful. These efforts have reignited the debate about the potential dangers associated with cannabis use, particularly among adolescents. A recent review […]

Spectrum Youth and Family Services announced a new program called Teen Intervention Program for Substance Use (TIPS) that will provide for intake assessment followed by a 26-week treatment program for adolescents with substance abuse problems aged 12-18. The treatment is family-based and uses a motivational and behavioral framework. Parents need to attend and be involved […]

The Gala Premier of Kingdom County Productions’ new documentary film The Hungry Heart will take place at the Flynn Theater in Burlington, VT on Friday September 27 at 7pm. The film, directed and produced by Bess O’Brien, explores prescription drug addiction through the intimate world of Vermont Pediatrician Fred Holmes who works with patients struggling […]

The number of children and adolescents (under age 21) who are incarcerated has been steadily dropping since the mid-1990s according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation that presents data from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The 2010 national rate of 225 youth per 100,000 is […]

Living somewhere between the worlds of science and politics has been the longstanding debate regarding the negative effects of cannabis abuse. While there have been some studies linking its use to lower IQ, most have not assessed IQ prior to the onset of substance use. A recent study published in PNAS will likely spark more […]